213 N.C. App. 495 - Stephens v. Stephens’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

8 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 8 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “but only that the substantial change affects the welfare of the child.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. Del Rosso-Schneider v. Schneider · Chapman v. Pimentel

2. “As long as there is competent evidence to support the trial court’s findings, its determination as to the child’s best interests cannot be upset absent a manifest abuse of discretion. Under an abuse of discretion standard, we must determine whether a decision is manifestly unsupported by reason, or so arbitraiy that it could not have been the result of a reasoned decision.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the concurrence
   e.g. Green v. Kelischek

3. “When reviewing a trial court's decision to grant or deny a motion for the modification of an existing child custody order, the appellate courts must examine the trial court's findings of fact to determine whether they are supported by substantial evidence.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Chapman v. Pimentel